Hornets-Wizards Preview

By NOEY KUPCHANPosted Mar 14 2013 4:27PM

While John Wall says he still isn't fully up to speed after missing the first 10 weeks of the season, his latest efforts may indicate otherwise.

Wall and the Washington Wizards aim for a fourth consecutive home win Friday night against the last-place New Orleans Hornets.

Wall, who didn't debut until Jan. 12 due to a stress injury in his left knee, is averaging 14.8 points and 7.4 assists in 30 games, just below his career marks of 16.1 and 8.0.

"I think this summer I was in my best shape ever, but after sitting out 33 games, I think you lose it," he said. "I'm still trying to get back into top game shape. It's tough."

His last two games, though, seem to show that he may finally be at 100 percent.

Wall posted season highs of 27 points and 14 assists in a 95-90 loss at Cleveland on Tuesday and had 23 and 10 in a 106-93 victory over Milwaukee the next night.

"There was an instance tonight where I really saw a glimpse of greatness," said swingman Martell Webster, who's gone 13 for 26 from 3-point range and averaged 19.0 points in the last three games.

Wall has averaged 19.6 points during rookie Bradley Beal's five-game absence due to a sprained left ankle. Beal, scoring 14.2 points per contest, is uncertain to play Friday.

"Just being more aggressive and taking better shots than what I was taking," Wall said of his recent play. "Just give credit to me working harder with (assistant coach) Sam (Cassell) on my jump shot, those type of things."

Averaging an NBA-low 91.9 points, the Wizards (21-42) have scored 99.8 per game in winning 13 of 17 at home. They would appear to have a good chance to continue that success against the Hornets (22-43), who have dropped nine of 11 on the road, including four straight by an average of 17.7 points.

While it wasn't pretty, Washington pulled out a 77-70 win at New Orleans on Dec. 11. The Wizards shot 32.9 percent, their lowest mark in a victory since Nov. 7, 2000. Wall and Hornets leading scorer Eric Gordon, who averages 16.9 points, sat out.

New Orleans is coming off its fourth loss in five games, 108-98 at Brooklyn on Tuesday. The Hornets shot 51.3 percent but were outrebounded 42-31.

"In games like that, you got to play through the physical contact, because that's what we're going to have to overcome if we're going to be good team someday," coach Monty Williams said.

Gordon scored 24 points, Anthony Davis had 17 and 11 rebounds and Greivis Vasquez added 15 points and 14 assists. Davis has averaged 17.0 points and 12.0 boards over the last five games.

Ryan Anderson missed his first game of the season Tuesday due to an illness and is uncertain to suit up Friday.

The Hornets have won three straight in Washington, last visiting Jan. 1, 2011.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Wall has season-high 29; Wizards top Hornets 96-87

By JOSEPH WHITEPosted Mar 15 2013 10:56PM

WASHINGTON (AP) Heard the one about the point guard who can't shoot? That's supposed to be John Wall.

Helpless from long range for so long, the Washington Wizards point guard had his best shooting game as a pro Friday night, a night so successful that the names Larry Bird, Jim Furyk and Jason Kidd were kicked around when discussing what went right.

In fact, Wall was in such a good mood following his season-high 29-point performance in a 96-87 victory over the New Orleans Hornets that he joked about his beloved Kentucky Wildcats' 16-point loss to Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference tournament.

"We were national champs last year. ... We stunk it up tonight," said Wall, who was trash-talking just anybody in the locker room whose school was on the NCAA bubble. "You see we just lost by 20. I ain't worried about the brackets."

Wall also doesn't seem to be worried about his jumper, even though his outside touch has been mostly absent since he was chosen No. 1 overall in the 2010 draft. Against the Hornets, however, he went 12 for 15 from the field, including 3 for 3 from 3-point range and 9 for 12 from 13 feet and beyond.

How unusual is that? He entered the game just 3 for 20 from 3-point range for the season, and he was a mere 3 for 42 last season. The only previous time he had made three 3s in a game was a 3-for-7 performance against the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 23, 2010, during a rookie season when he took - and missed - the 3 more often, going 34 for 115.

Wall's .800 field goal percentage was his best in any game in which he's taken more than a half-dozen shots. He had a 5-for-6 night against the Milwaukee Bucks last month.

Wall has been shooting better the last few games, and he and coach Randy Wittman agreed that it has a lot to do with confidence - and finding a consistent stroke.

"Larry Bird didn't have the picture-perfect shot, but he shot it the same way every time," Wittman said. "Jim Furyk has the ugliest golf swing in America, but it's the same one over and over again. That's why he's good. John, he's got to make it the same shot. He can't take two different shots."

Wall claims not to be bothered by his can't-shoot rap.

"You look at Jason Kidd, he didn't start making 3s until late in his career," Wall said. "At long as I can make the mid-range and improve my game and help my teammates out, that's all that matters to me."

Wall's performance, which included nine assists, brought some electricity to what looked to be a humdrum game between teams all but certainly headed for the NBA lottery. Eric Gordon scored 20 points for the Hornets, who have lost five straight on the road and five of six overall.

"John Wall was disrespected tonight," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "We just let him shoot shots like he couldn't make them, and he made us pay."

Known more of his speed and ball-handling, Wall looked ready for a game of Around the World from the get-go. He made a 19-foot jumper on Washington's first possession and hit from 15, 24, 26 and 23 in the first half alone.

He casually sank a leg-kick fadeaway from just inside the arc late in the third quarter and nodded his head repeatedly after his next one, a 15-foot swish. He scored the Wizards' final six points of the period, with a coast-to-coast, scoop-shot layup and a pair of free throws putting Washington ahead 74-64, the first double-digit lead by either team in the game.

Playing at the faster pace that Wittman likes, Wall had then-season highs of 27 points and 14 assists in a 95-90 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday and put up 23 and 10 in a 106-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

"These last two games, I told him, `Take these home and study these,"' Wittman said. "This is the way, from the pace standpoint, that we have to play."

Notes: The Wizards hadn't beaten the Hornets at home since March 2, 2008. ... Washington rookie G Bradley Beal (sprained left ankle) missed his sixth straight game, and G A.J. Price (right groin) missed his second in a row. ... Hornets F Ryan Anderson (13 points) returned after sitting out one game with an illness.

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Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Wizards 96, Hornets 87

THE FACTS: John Wall turned in a stellar performance with a season-high 29 points and nine assists on 12-of-15 from the floor as the Washington Wizards overcame a hot start by the New Orleans Hornets, who then faded in the second half, for a 96-87 on Friday night at Verizon Center.

The Hornets (22-44) shot a blistering 60 percent in the first quarter, but cooled off considerably thanks to some solid defensive play by the Wizards (22-42). With the score tied at 50 at halftime, the Wizards pulled away in the second half thanks to Wall's hot shooting and the solid play of the bench. Trevor Booker led both teams with 13 rebounds and Trevor Ariza had eight. Five Wizards players scored in double figures, including Wall's 29, Martell Webster with 18, and Garrett Temple with 10. Cartier Martin and Kevin Seraphin each came off the bench for 10.

Webster, who was 4-of-11 from 3-point range, become the first player in Bullets-Wizards franchise history to connect on four three-pointers in four consecutive games.

The Hornets were led by Eric Gordon with 20 points and University of Maryland product Greivis Vasquez, who scored 18. Rookie Anthony Davis was an efficient 4-of-8 from the floor for 16 points. The Wizards shot 45 percent from three-point range (9 of 20), while the Hornets shot just 15 percent (3 of 19).

QUOTABLE: "There's a good way to miss a shot and there's a bad way. His misses have been really good misses."-- Wizards coach Randy Wittman on Wall's shot selection and his consistency over the past week.

THE STAT: The Wizards are undefeated this season, 9-0, when they shoot at least 50 percent from the floor.

QUOTABLE II: "I just got into a good rhythm. The last couple of games I've been feeling pretty good and able to knock down my shot. You make your first couple, you get in a rhythm and you get confidence."-- Wall

HOT: Wall shot 100 percent from3-point range, connecting on 3 of 3 in Friday night's victory over the Hornets. Wall has scored at least 20 points in his last three games.

NOT: Former Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr. played nearly 15 minutes, but attempted just two shots and missed both. Mason finished with just two rebounds and no assists.

GOOD MOVE: With another game to play on Saturday night, Wittman kept Chris Singleton and Jan Vesely on the bench during the game. Both players have been in and out of the lineup, but are capable of coming off the bench and giving some effort and hustle if needed. With Wittman needing Booker to stretch the floor in order to guard Hornets forward Ryan Anderson on the perimeter, and with Booker admitting to being just a bit banged up, he may need some rest when the Wizards play the Suns on Saturday.

QUOTABLE III: "I think this is the way we've envisioned ourselves playing and wanting to play. We're only as good as our bench , and when your bench comes in and plays great basketball, we piggy back off that." -- Webster

NOTABLE:Asked about the need for Wall to maintain consistency shooting the ball, Wittman made analogies to Hall of Famer Larry Bird and golfer Jim Furyk. Wittman said that Bird didn't have a picture perfect shot, but shot the ball the same way every time. As for Furyk, Wittman said he has the ugliest golf swing in America, but it's the same swing over and over. Wall, Wittman said, has to make the same shot -- he can't take two different shots.